The Sensational Scent of Prayer

Rachel Wojnarowski

Copyright 2012 by Rachel Wojnarowski

All Rights Reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

E-book Edition May 2012

Cover Design by Waterkopf

Foreword

Having been a Christian for over 30 years, you'd think I'd have one of the essentials of the faith all neatly nailed down and understood by now: prayer.

Prayer is at the crux of a believer's relationships with God. It is how we communicate with our Creator; how we make our deepest requests known or get our divine marching orders for the day.

However, prayer can be a mysterious and sometimes elusive practice. At times it actually raises questions rather than provides simple answers that float down from heaven all tied up in a pretty spiritual bow.

Like, if God is gonna do what He is gonna do anyway—being that He is all omniscient and all—then why pray in the first place? Or why at times do I pray continually only to continually get no obvious response? Is He busy? Or ignoring me? Or is He just slow? Have I done something wrong so He is refusing to answer?

If you’ve too ever wondered about the mysteries of prayer, you now hold in your hands (or are viewing on a screen) a tool that will help guide you to answers. Rachel has delved deeply and beautifully into the biblical account of a desperate, questioning, Old Testament spiritual sister: Hannah.

Through a play-by-play study of her heart-wrenching situation, Rachel unpacks for us the hows, whys and whats of prayer and challenges us to not just simply seek our desired answers, but to instead desirously seek the ultimate Answer Giver.

As you journey with her through the pages of this practical guide, I know you, like me, will unearth nuggets of truth that will empower you to make your prayer life a priority and your heart-felt requests a sweet aroma to our even sweeter and knows-what-He-is-doing God.

Karen Ehman

Proverbs 31 Ministries National Director of Speakers, author of A Life That Says Welcome, The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized and the soon-to-be released LET. IT. GO. How to Stop Running the Show & Start Walking In Faith, wife of 26 years, mom of three and still-learning pray-er :-)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Desperation Point

Chapter 2 In Bitterness of Soul

Chapter 3 Pouring Out the Bitter Soul

Chapter 4 She Smells Like Mine

Chapter 5 Asked of God

Chapter 6 Mission: Impossible Answers to Prayer

Chapter 7 The Impact of Unity

Chapter 8 A Standing Ovation: Our God the Rock

Chapter 9 The Princess & The Pauper

Chapter 10 Hannah's Path of Prayer

The Sensational Scent of Prayer

Chapter 1

Desperation Point

What does prayer smell like?

***********

Tired and burdened from more than the physical weight of supplies she carried on her back, Hannah caught her breath and gazed toward the horizon. The annual trek to Shiloh was coming to completion; she could see the tabernacle in the distance. Incense burning from the tabernacle lamps floated through the air and flooded her nostrils. Within seconds, Hannah's mind retraced the annual journey.

Hannah's husband, Elkanah, was married to another besides herself; Peninnah was her name and taunting was her game. The primary asset to having wives at this time in Biblical history was children. Someone must carry on the family name. In this family, all the future was resting in Penninah's children. Hannah had born no children to her husband. The husband of the two was torn for Hannah. The Bible tells us that at the times of the sacrifice, he gave portions to Peninnah and her children. But when it came to Hannah's turn at the altar, he gave her a double portion to sacrifice. Surely his love for her would shine through his giving. Surely she knew just how much she was loved, in spite of her incapability.

Elkanah loved Hannah deeply and her barrenness was no deterrent to him. The word "love" from I Samuel 1:5 is interpreted in the Gesenius lexicon as meaning "to desire, to breathe after."[1] Elkanah could not breathe without Hannah; he loved her so very much. Her existence was his reason to breathe.

The Bible doesn't give a medical dissertation for the reason Hannah could not have children. No diagnosis or hint of the reason for Hannah's failure to reproduce. But it does say:

"…but the Lord had shut up her womb." I Samuel 1:5

"…because the Lord had shut up her womb." I Samuel 1:6

The Scripture is clear that God was in control of her body, and the situation.

Hannah was in a state to which many of us can relate; she simply wasn't "normal." She wasn't doing the normal thing for a woman of her age in her culture. The lack of control she held over the situation tormented her soul enough; but also, Elkanah's other wife, Peninnah, treated it her duty to torment Hannah over her barrenness .

In I Samuel 1:6&7, the Bible tells us that Peninnah "provoked Hannah sore, for to make her fret." The repetition of the phrase "She provoked her" reiterates that Peninnah was equivalent to the wicked witch of the west from Wizard of Oz. She didn't easily cease and desist. Peninnah teased Hannah like no tomorrow, to the point that Hannah had worked herself into a horrifically hot mess. Year after year, Peninnah continued to shoot her torturous words like darts straight to Hannah's heart. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I would have had the patience to deal with her for more than a few minutes, much less year after year! This provocation by Peninnah made Hannah “fret.” The literal Hebrew meaning of fret is “raam” which means “tremble.” [2] We are talking about Hannah being in such a state of mind over this issue that she was trembling from head to toe. Hannah had reached a place of despair that grieved her body, soul and spirit to the core.

As much as the trembling disabled her, fanning the flame of despair was the fact that Hannah couldn't eat. The situation had gripped her with unknown fury; her physical and mental limitations were beyond spent.

When the circumstances of your own life are so forceful, making you weak at the knees and ready to hurl at the thought of food, you've reached a "brim" of life. I call it a "brim" because it is as if you are standing on the rim of a cup, but not just the edge. You are on your tiptoes, attempting to balance yourself and to juggle the issues at hand.

Reflect back with me at verses 5 and 6 of I Samuel 1:

"But the Lord had shut up her womb."

"Because the Lord had shut up her womb."

When God's Word repeats a word or phrase, it screams to me:

God is the One who held the authority over Hannah's mind and body.

Who is in control of that situation that is sending you over the edge? Who knows every hair on your head and every fiber of your being? (Matt. 10:30) When we allow any physical or mental issues to bring us to the point of complete and utter depression, fear or worry, then we essentially are saying, "I'm trying to control this, but I can't."

We may not be able to visualize a solution to our problem.

But the God of the Universe is bigger than any problem, visible or intangible.

Three years ago, around February 2009, I was pregnant with our sweet Tarah and my belly was growing each day. With that growth, and the glorious winter weather we have here in Ohio (Oh, yes. So many overcast, ugly gray days you just can’t keep up.), the worry over finances began to loom over me. Oh, but it wasn’t just a financial thing.

The Devil kept bringing up diapers. What?! Well, with having 7 children, my husband and I have transitioned multiple times over in regards to caring for their needs. But there was a period of years that we had three children in diapers at the same time. Fun. My mind just kept thinking about that period of time and how expensive it was to keep up. Really, I worked myself into a frenzy over diapers, sometimes a couple times a day.

Then I became convicted. I Peter 5:7 was waving at me and started shouting my name.

“Casting all your care (anxiety or worry) on Him, for He cares for you.”

So I began to pray each and every single time the thought of diapers and their expense rose to the surface of my mind. ”Lord, I know Your Word says You are my Provider. Please take this worry over diapers and give me victory in Your Promises.” I continued this prayer for a few months. Sometimes just one time in a day; often it was multiple times throughout the day.

One morning, the week before I was due to deliver Sweet T, I was standing in the kitchen, washing dishes, when my husband came in from work. He worked nightshift in the emergency room at the time and so the time was a little later than he typically comes home, but I thought he got hung up saving someone’s life. Literally. However, he went into the living room and then back out to his car. Then into the living room and back out to his car again. I made the circle around from the kitchen, just in time to see him coming through the garage door a third time, arms full of baby bags. On the couch were stacks of diapers. And wipes. And some other gifts. 21 packages of diapers in all, all different sizes. ”Honey, my co-workers gave us a diaper shower last night.”

I’ve never heard of a man receiving a baby shower from his co-workers.

Isn’t it amazing how God works? I hadn’t prayed for diapers specifically; all I requested was that God would give me the strength not to worry over something so trivial. Even though it seemed like a big deal.

The story gets better. That same day about 1 pm, the doorbell rang. I went to answer the door and saw the UPS man, who had cases of something stacked on his dolly. As he arrived on the porch, I realized the cases were…you guessed it! Diapers! My sister, Sharon, had felt impressed by the Lord to send diapers to me and so she went online to Sam’s Club and had them sent directly to my house.

We didn’t buy diapers for Tarah until she was 15 months old.

Why am I telling you this? Because God answers prayer in His own way.

Even when the request is something as silly as: “Lord, please take away my worry over diapers.”

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall bring it to pass." Prov. 3:5&6

Prayer just might smell like….diapers. Thankfully, unused.

Chapter 2

In Bitterness of Soul

The cinnamon hung in the air gently; the warm oven air blew the scent through the kitchen and into the family room. As soon as my husband walked through the interior garage door, his face broke into a smile. His bright eyes gleamed. When he looked at me, his short query: "Apple pie?" made more of a statement than a question. I had followed his mother's recipe; he recognized this immediately.

***************

Elkanah, the devoted husband who claimed Hannah as his reason for life and love, was begging to comprehend Hannah's sorrow.

"Why are you crying? Why are you not eating? Why is your heart grieved to this depth?" Elkanah's mind could not fathom the extent of sorrow to which Hannah had bowed. The final straw in his grand attempt to cheer her up came blurting out: "Am I not better to you than ten sons?"

Pause for just a moment, hit the remote in your mind and stick here for a second. Or two.

Researching multiple commentaries did not find any great scholar with my view on this topic. But the last time I checked, no man rattles off four questions in a row without being exasperated. Elkanah had been patient; he had consoled and patted and tried. Now his patience has flown out the window and in a state of sheer agitation, he stomps off…or something like that. After eating and drinking, Hannah pulls herself up by the sandal straps and makes her way to the temple by her lonesome self.

At least she knew where to go when in the depths of despair.

Before Hannah even reached the temple gate, the familiar smells wrestled for prominence. The sacrificed animals with their hides still scorching reeked of burning blood and hair. The sweet incense of the burning lamps weighed equally in the air. In Exodus 30, the temple instructions outline explicit procedures for the temple lamps.

"Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations." Exodus 30:8&9

As she entered the temple gate, Hannah's mind grappled with emotions and dreams. The epitome of her condition is labeled in verse 10 of chapter 1; she was narrowly existing in "bitterness of soul." This phrase speaks boldly for her lack of well-being. The Hebrew word for soul is "nephesh", meaning the seat of your emotions and passions.[3]

Think of your soul as a captain's chair. When we think of the pilot's seat in an airplane, we think of the control of the airplane. The captain's chair is controlling that plane and whoever or whatever is in the captain's chair guides the plane on its path. Hannah's journey was being controlled by bitterness and she was confused as to the reason for her barrenness. Her lack of control over this circumstance allowed the substitute control to gain momentum. Her soul was being controlled by the emotions of her turmoil. Submerged in bitterness, she desperately sought relief.

So much can be gleaned from Hannah's hopeless heart. Why was Hannah in bitterness of soul?

Lack of opportunity is the first issue at hand. Hannah wanted children and couldn't have them. God had a reason for this state; her barrenness wasn't a mistake in His plan. His plan for her life flew high in the face of her lack of children. She, however, had not been made privy to the details.

Frustration with God often comes from lack of opportunity, but impeccable timing is His specialty.

Secondly Hannah was enduring strong opposition. I don't mean she had a hangnail. Penninah could have been a certified WWF female wrestler. Ok, maybe not. But she had a mouth and knew how to use it. The persistence of her persecution was beyond anything Hannah could endure. Her strength had to come from somewhere other than herself.

The enemy is overwhelming and deceiving; the only way to overcome his continual bombardment is through the strength of the Lord. (Phil. 4:13) Hannah recognized her need.

Thirdly, she was coping with continual oppression. The words from Penninah struck a strong chord, but their sharpness was magnified by constant force. The steady drone of negativity weighed Hannah down like a ball and chain around her ankle.

In her state of desperation, Hannah turns to the Lord. Where else could she go? Who would save her from this serious depression?

I Samuel 1:10

"And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore."

The phrase "wept sore" is another repetitive phrase in God's Word, but one that the English does not translate exactly. The Hebrew phrase, "wept sore," is "bakah bakah." [4] The same word is used for both English words. Hannah wept. And then she wept some more. And then she wept some more. And then she wept some more.

Hannah had reached her point of utter desperation. The important factor is that she knew Who to turn to when she arrived there.

So she prays.

Chapter 3

Pouring Out the Bitter Soul

"O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head." Hannah's First Recorded Prayer- I Samuel 1:11

"God, would you just look at me and remember me?" Hannah's immediate request reflects a little doubt in our minds. "Hello, God? I'm over here!" She was waving her mental arms and legs, jumping up and down like she was on a deserted island; but God already knew exactly where Hannah was.

Reflect on the word "remember" for a moment though. God hadn't forgotten Hannah, though we might think that she thought He had. However, in the Hebrew, the word "remember" is "zakar." [5] The depth of this word is more than just asking God to recall her situation. More than begging Him to remember her, as if He'd forgotten. This word "zakar" at its depth means to make a memorial. Hannah's request was that God would make a memorial of her life. She KNEW He hadn't forgotten her; she was just asking Him to take it to the next level. She was begging God to perform a miracle of such dynamic proportions that all the people would know only He could do such a magnificent work in her life.

While Hannah is in the middle of her outpouring, her lips were moving, but her voice was drained. No sound could be heard coming from her mouth. Eli, the priest of the temple, takes a glance at her and with her incredible state of emotion, perceives her to be drunk. I imagine that she wasn't exactly looking like a beauty pageant queen at the moment. She hadn't been eating; her face was possibly drawn. She'd been crying nonstop, therefore her eyes exhibited nothing but redness and puffiness. She looked like a train wreck! There are three principles I would like to mention in regards to this scenario at this point.

First, as most of us already know, first impressions are not always as they appear. Years ago, I worked for an attorney who had been in practice for fifty years at the time. His astute judgment of people was typically dead on and I learned so much from this wise one. However, once in a great while, he was wrong about his prediction of a case.

God alone is our Judge and even His priest, Eli, called Hannah improperly. It seems to be a common trend in our day to judge one before an opportunity to know someone has been given. We serve a God of grace and mercy and He calls us to extend that grace and mercy to others.

The second lesson I see in this scenario of Eli approaching Hannah is that our spiritual condition can be easily gauged by our response to criticism. Now I know none of you would do this, but I can hear the summary of my potential words if I were in Hannah’s shoes. “Man, I’ve been verbally abused by my husband’s other wife for years. I mean years! She has battered me to the point of tears and starvation. My husband, as much as he loves me, is pretty sick of putting up with my issues right now and you have the audacity to come in here and call me drunk? Mind your own business!” But Hannah’s reaction was not of that nature in the least. She disagreed kindly, calling Eli with respect.

The third lesson we can observe from the interaction between Eli and Hannah is that true prayer warriors may seem zealous, fanatical, or radical to the world or even to fellow Christians at first glance. When was the last time you saw someone at church, praying with a fellow Christian in the foyer? How many people are attending prayer meetings these days? What kind of desperation point do we need in order to turn to God in prayer?

Hannah’s explanation to Eli was that she was not drunk; she had “poured out her soul before the Lord.” She was not satisfied to continue to live with this grief. What does this phrase truly mean? There are other passages that refer to this act of “pouring out one’s soul.” David mentions it in Psalm 42:1-4, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, "Where is your God?" When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast."

After heeding his own advice, David encourages others to do the same in Psalm 62: 5-8, "My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. " And in Lamentations 2:19, Jeremiah describes this same type of action, “Arise, cry out in the night, At the beginning of the watches; Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him For the life of your young children, Who faint from hunger at the head of every street."

Unlike oil, when water is poured from a pitcher or glass, every drop can be poured out. So what are we getting at here? When we pray from our soul, “the seat of our emotions and passions,” we should be relinquishing every worry, care, problem and concern.

So here they stand, Eli and Hannah. Hannah confesses her outpouring to God. She wasn't ashamed of her spirit of despair. Notice she didn't say "I just finished asking God for a child." Or "I just begged God to give me what I can't have on my own. Yet, Eli confirms Hannah's request. What a special role Eli played in God's confirmation to Hannah. His words: "Go in peace. God is granting your request." Hannah's response? "Thank you for extending grace to me."

Hannah's words had wafted to the Heavens alongside the incense of the temple lamps. Grace had been extended.

One day, about six years ago, I was talking to the Lord about the issue of being used for Him. The depth of my situation wasn't quite the same as Hannah's, but it felt like it at the time. I told God all about it (as if He didn't know already)… and I remember saying something like this:

"God, I know You want to use me. Your Word outlines verse after verse regarding this concept. But You also know that my current season of life keeps me mostly at home. So between all the caring for children, teaching piano out of my home, just the busyness of my husband and family, I'm asking you to use me. I guess I'm asking that You bring the people in my path that you want me to love on and that You help me to know what You want me to do for them."

This was not a prayer in the heat of a moment…this was a daily prayer for several weeks.

School let out for the summer, my children were all home, all day, and the pace of life picked up even more.

One day that summer was especially busy. First the cable man came early in the morning. Then, the doorbell rang and the neighbor kids wanted to play. A bit later, a piano student and her mom arrived for their scheduled half hour…and the front door of our house seemed to be a revolving door that day. By the time dinner came around, over 26 people had come to our house for one reason or another. 26! Yes, I'm serious.

Rather than being overwhelmed at the busyness of such a day, I found myself asking God what to do for each person, in their unique situation. By the end of the day, I remembered the prayer I'd been praying. Yes, it took me all day to have enough brain power to recollect it, but it was true: God was using me to minister to people as I had requested and He had answered my prayer by bringing the people TO ME. 26 of them in fact.

You've probably heard of the old adage:

"Be careful what you pray for- you just might get it."

Just as the Father extended grace to Hannah, He did the same for me.

And He wants to provide the same grace to you.

Chapter 4

She Smells Like Mine

"It was a perfect day to just walk down the streets smelling. So that's what George did."

Curious George [6]

***********

Hannah had poured out her spirit before the Lord and the Lord heard her cry.

The temple procedures we mentioned in chapter 2 from Leviticus held purposeful meaning for the future. Aaron's task of keeping the temple lamps continually burning with incense is a picture of the future temple of God.

I Corinthians 6:19&20 outlines the New Testament era in that the establishment of the temple of God, a place for Him to dwell on earth, was no longer necessary. He now inhabits His people.

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

David gives us insight as to how our bodies as God's temple compare to the physical temple of His Old Testament dwelling place.

Psalm 141:2

"Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."

Our hands lifted to Heaven are equated to the Old Testament sacrifices. The ultimate sacrifice was made by our Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross for us. By accepting Him as the only way to Heaven, we are lifting our hands in surrender, giving our all to Him in return for what He has done for us.

In this Old Testament comparison of prayer to incense, David is asking God to allow this prayer to have the same effect as the incense of the temple lamps. The lamps were a symbol of consistent obedience to God. They served as a reminder that the people wanted to follow God's commands and commune with Him through the keeping of the law. They were to burn continually, filling the temple with their sweet smells, overriding the harsh odors of bloody, gory sacrifices. So David is essentially saying:

Lord, I want this prayer to smell up the Heavens. May it waft about gloriously, filling the atmosphere with a sweet, fragrant aroma. I give everything to You: my life, my will, my body. May the upward turn of my hands reflect my openness and surrender to You.

Imagine Hannah's prayer before the Father, floating up to the Heavens, just as David described here. Her words of pleading for mercy from her affliction drifted and moved the heavenly Father. "Give him to me, God; and I'll give Him back to you."

From a human perspective, the sense of smell, known as olfaction, has been scientifically researched and studied. The complexity of this sense has yet to be intricately identified in totality, but there are a few facts I found intriguing. "Research suggests that memories triggered by olfactory information are different than memories evoked by verbal and visual information. Also, evidence suggests that the phenomenological experience of olfactory memory differs from the processing of other sensory information. "[7]

I know God is not human and to give Him human attributes would be blaspheming. However, we are created in His image. (Genesis 1:27) And continuously in His Word, God gives us pictures of physical, tangible events to assist us in comprehending spiritual depth. This is His way of providing finite explanations of infinite concepts.

One of the facts I found so interesting when reflecting about the nature of Hannah's request to the Lord follows:

"Humans can detect individuals that are blood-related kin (mothers and children but not husbands and wives) from olfaction. Mothers can identify by body odor their biological children but not their stepchildren."[8]

Hannah and Eli parted ways, but Scripture tells us that Hannah ate and no longer had a sad countenance. She rolled out of her tent early the next morning, worshipped the Lord with her family and made the journey home, believing God for what had been promised to her.

I Samuel 1:19

"…and the Lord remembered her."

Hannah's heavenly Father identified the scent of her prayer. She was his daughter and there was no mistaking His plan for her life. God got one whiff of Hannah's prayer and said:

"There's my girl. I'm about to make a memorial of her; she just doesn't know it yet."

Unlike Curious George, God doesn't have to wait for the perfect day to walk down the streets smelling.

Every moment of every day is perfect for Him.

Chapter 5

Asked of God

My brother-in-law told me a story of a dear elderly man he knew. The man had lost his father to cancer and on a beautiful spring day, with the smell of freshly-mowed grass in the air, they buried his body and looked toward the future with hope. Decades passed and this friend of my brother-in-law's was driving through the country on a glorious spring day with windows rolled down. All of the sudden he began to sob and had to pull his car over to regain control of his emotions. The smell of spring in the air combined with the scent of grass just trimmed took him back to that day of his father's burial like nothing ever had before.

************

Hannah, our shining star, has a new outlook on life. Why? Has her situation changed? No. Is she still barren? Yes. Will Penninah still be the ever-present nag in her life? Yes. But what has changed? She has peace in her heart!! Her time alone with the Lord in prayer to Him brings a change in her countenance and a change in her behavior. She stopped pouting and started eating. Sounds like a two year old, huh?

So is the purpose of prayer to stomp our feet and get what we want?

Let's look at prayer from a three-fold perspective. First, it is the glue of communication that holds our personal relationship with God together. If you never spoke to someone with whom you were closely connected, maybe your husband, wife, mother, father, or child, how close would you really be? In order to maintain a personal relationship with those we love, we must communicate with them. The same is true with God. And not just once a day. Or once a week. Or once in a blue moon.

As Paul wrote the letter to the church at Thessalonica:

Pray without ceasing. (II Thess. 5:17)

Paul wasn't telling us to enter a prayer closet and die there. Not at all. His commission was to pray right where you are. Talk to God in your spirit throughout the day. Commune with Him; commit your thoughts to Him. Praise Him radically; request from Him ridiculously.

Secondly, prayer is to be the sweet essence of His presence in our lives and it allows us to be made a memorial for His glory. When we are close to God in our prayer, it shows! We then become a breath of fresh air for others to inhale, drawing those around us closer to either accepting Christ or living for Him. When we are experiencing the answers to our prayers, we have then been “made a memorial.” We possess the honor of sharing this and giving God the glory!

Thirdly prayer is to give us an opportunity to allow Him to control the opposition and give relief from the oppression. Hannah was experiencing a severe opposition which she could not control. Her oppression was consistently vicious. What an incredible gift to be able to turn those factors over to God and leave them there! Even without an answer to her prayer, Hannah experienced peace after pouring out her soul.

Forty weeks had seemed ninety, yet Hannah enjoyed every moment of her pregnancy. For as long as she had waited to be with child, the time to carry him in her womb seemed to pass as quickly as a single night. His arrival had been highly anticipated and the exuberant joy he brought upon his entrance to the world echoed in the ears of all who heard his first cry.

His name was inscribed on the birth tablets. (Hey, the idea of announcements came from somewhere…)

Samuel.

Asked of God.

Hannah had dared to beg God for an answer to her situation. She lived in His way, walked in His Word and boldly requested mercy and grace. Just what the Father wanted.

As Elkanah and the whole gang packed up for the journey to make their yearly sacrifice, Hannah stayed at home with her asked-of-God child. Her promise would be fulfilled to the Lord after she had provided the physical sustenance her sweet baby boy needed. Once he no longer needed his mama's milk, his life would be given back to the Lord, as Hannah had promised.

The Bible doesn't tell us exactly how old Samuel was when Hannah travelled to the temple to give the Lord her ultimate sacrifice, as she had vowed. It merely says he was young. But my mama's heart can't comprehend the strength she possessed to honor her promise. Upon entering the gates of the temple, Hannah's first breath of the lamps burning incense took her back to that day she last stood in the temple. With tears streaming, her recollection of that day she poured out her soul before the Lord came flooding back over her mind and the awesomeness of her God overwhelmed her. She greets Eli with well-prepared declaration.

I Samuel 1:26-28

And she said, "O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD. For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD. So they worshiped the LORD there."

Hannah was saying "Pinch yourself, Brother! Remember me? Our God is real! You know how you told me that God would answer my prayer for a son? Here he is!"

The excitement in her voice and the thrill of her tone could not be mistaken for drunkenness this time around. Elation of this nature only transcends as a result of viewing Heaven on earth.

Her prayer…though seemingly impossible…had been answered.

Chapter 6

Mission: Impossible Answers to Prayer

"What I've learned the more time I've spent following Jesus is that God delights in answering our impossible prayers."- Bob Goff [9]

**************

Hope you don't mind, but for the next two chapters, we are pausing in our story of Hannah to look at a few other impossibly-answered prayers. First up, the children of Israel.

Smoking hot, the sun beat down in the Egyptian desert. The tired backs of slaves sweated and bent, working hard labor with little to live for. The children of Israel "sighed by reason of bondage." The inhumane conditions they had endured for years became too much to bear and they cried out to God. They cried because their bondage was taxing and overwhelming.

Exodus 2:23

"…their cry came up to God by reason of the bondage."

Many times I believe we just aren't sick of our sin enough to let it go. That addiction- it binds us. It enslaves us to the point of having little to live for, but just like the children of Israel, we have to be sick of it, tired of it, and crying out to God before the deliverance comes.

Exodus 2:24

"And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob."

We've read that word "remembered" before; remember "zakar"- "to make a memorial?" God was about to make a memorial of the children of Israel. They cried out to God and were delivered from slavery. Relief from the bondage was received by the Israelites in answer to their plea for help, but not until twelve chapters later do we find the actual deliverance from Egypt. Finally, their feet took the steps outside the walls they had known for so many years. The Red Sea parting was just the beginning of the Lord's monument to his covenant with the preceding generations. God had a timetable for them; just as He has for you and me.

Delivery is not impossible, but we have to be prepared that it may take longer than we would like.

Isaiah 55:9

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

***********

A God-duel was going down. Elijah had challenged the people of Israel to face the prophets of Baal and their teaching in a head-on collision, but the Israelites had no reply. All the worshippers of Baal gather on Mount Carmel with Elijah, the only remaining prophet of the one true God. It's time to fight fire with fire. First up, the prophets of Baal take their turn at offering a sacrifice to their God. From morning to night, they pray for fire to fall and consume their sacrifice. In turn, their god does not answer. These men began to jump on the altar in suicide attempts to bring answers from their gods. Still no answer.

At this point, Elijah jumps in, "Dudes, maybe your god is in the middle of something important, a conversation, or on vacation. In fact, I think he's sleeping and you need to do something more to wake him up. Can I help you get a megaphone? An amp? Anyone?" No answer from the false and powerless gods. Elijah's comments only served to cause the prophets of Baal to take matters in their own hands. They cut themselves to the point of bleeding in an attempt to get an answer from Baal. This ruthless behavior continued until evening when Elijah asks the people to come close and with slow, deliberate care, he repairs the altar of the Lord.

Twelve stones signifying the twelve tribes of Israel are positioned in order and the sacrifice prepared. Unlike the typical sacrificing procedures, Elijah adds the step of digging a trench around the altar. Four barrels of water are poured over the altar. Folks, wet wood didn't ignite back then either! Then four more barrels. Then four more. Each time the water was poured over, Elijah's point was reiterated- only a miracle-working God could possibly ignite this bad boy. And then, Elijah prays. Simply.

"Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me that these people may know that you are the Lord God, and you have turned their hearts back again." (I Kings 18:37)

And at that point, the impossible prayer was granted. Immediately. Fire fell from heaven and consumed every bit of the altar that Elijah had constructed. But the Bible gives us one little fact to savor.

I Kings 18:38

"….the fire licked up the water that was in the trench."

Ephesians 3:20

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…"

Our God not only answers impossible prayers; He goes beyond the impossible and accomplishes the unthinkable.

Impossible prayers smell Divine.

Chapter 7

The Impact of Unity

King Herod stroked his ego gleefully as the Jews experienced happiness over the death of James. To kill John's brother was a direct blow against the growing New Testament church. Herod had gained much popularity with the Jews; and in order not to lose the momentum, he captured Peter and imprisoned him carefully. With sixteen soldiers surrounding Peter's prison cell, Herod was certain that no chance for Peter's escape existed. Four soldiers guarded each side of the prison, alert and ready to end any interference.

Acts 12:5

"Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church."

Not just one person, but the entire church! Not just prayer. Constant prayer. The NIV says earnest prayer. The KJV says "…prayer was made without ceasing…." The church believed in the only God of miracles; and they were begging for his intervention.

Can you imagine the tone of their voices? They must have been weeping; Peter was their leader. The sincere urgency with which they were begging God to work a miracle of deliverance made its way to the heavens.

As the Lord sat on the throne of Heaven, billows of prayers flowed around the King of Kings. The sweetest smell on earth was that of the scent of His children conversing with Him. Not just one child asking for His presence, but united in heart, the first Christians imploring their God. The Heavenly Father calls for an angel. His assignment? Peter's deliverance.

Meanwhile, Herod's paranoia of a miracle has shaped Peter's sleeping arrangement. On the night before Herod intends to kill him, Peter sleeps between two soldiers, bound with chains. At the door of the prison, the keepers watch anxiously.

I just have to pause in this story long enough to point out the fact that Peter is actually sleeping! His faith had definitely found a resting place; he had confidence in Christ, providing pure peace.

So Peter is sleeping, but suddenly, the angel of the Lord was in the prison, lighting up the entire room (Acts 12:7.) The angel has to hit Peter to wake him up! "Let's go, Dude! There's no time to waste." When Peter stands to his feet, the chains drop from his wrists. Peter was attempting to collect his wits. Like my sleepy-headed children on an early morning, the angel says "Come on, get your clothes on. Put your shoes on; we've gotta go!"

Go they did. As if no soldiers or gates or prison walls ever existed. Through the first and second ward, through the iron gate of the prison entrance leading into the city, Peter and the angel walked unharmed. The gates opened without touch. As suddenly as the angel came to Peter, he made his departure, leaving Peter standing on the street in a daze.

One minute, Peter is asleep on death row, shackled on both sides; and the next, he is standing in the street, the only eye witness to a supernatural liberation.

Peter says to himself, "There is only ONE who could do this. The Lord sent the angel to deliver me."

At this point, he makes his way to Mary's house where many are gathered, praying for him. Imagine if he could overhear their cries to the Lord. He had to chuckle a bit to himself with joy over God's answers to their prayers standing just outside the gate. Peter knocks on the door and we are introduced to Rhoda, a younger woman who thought she heard someone and felt inclined to take a peek. Rhoda was quite familiar with Peter and as soon as she heard his voice, her excitement got the best of her. Instead of opening the door for Peter, she runs to tell the others that Peter is standing just outside the gate.

And the entire room looks at her and says, "You're crazy, Girl!" But Rhoda was not about to be taken lightly; her persisting spirit fought their words. No backing down. Finally, they gave her the benefit of the doubt and said, "Ok, probably Peter's angel."

But Peter continued to knock; his emotions held in check by the sheer awe of his escape. Ultimately, they opened the door and the person standing before them was indeed none other than Peter. The Bible says they were astonished. (Acts 12:16)

Interestingly enough, it took a little convincing before they stopped praying and actually opened the door to see Peter with their own eyes. Sometimes the answer to our prayers is just outside the gate; only we need to get up from our knees and open the door. The astronomical probability of Peter's situation did not deter the faith of the church; they had continued to pray, believing in answers to their many united prayers.

Years ago, my sister gave me the gift of a treasure box. With its beautiful cherry finish and a photo of my mother on the lid, only the most cherished, meaningful objects earn a place within its walls. Revelation 5:8 tells us that's how God feels about the prayers of his saints. "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of the saints."

Beautiful golden flasks flowing with incense are God's "treasure box" for our prayers. So precious are the perfumes of His children that He keeps them carefully, adoring every trace, basking in every breeze. Individually, they each have a distinct scent; but collectively, the glorious smell of prayers infused by unity can only be interpreted by the Father.

The One who loves the sensational scent of prayer.

Chapter 8

A Standing Ovation: Our God the Rock

After covering a few other impossible answers to prayer in the Bible, we are returning to our story of Hannah. At the end of I Samuel 1:19, Hannah has left her little Samuel at the tabernacle under Eli’s care. Can you imagine how this must have felt? When I read the next chapter, I am in awe of the attitude of Hannah. She is praising God with her whole heart!

When my children started kindergarten, I remember feeling like I wanted to sit on the couch all day with a tissue box and tub of Starbucks ice cream, looking through baby books. Hannah was NOT in this frame of mind.

A paraphrase of the first five verses could read like this: “I’m not afraid to talk about what God has done for me. There is no one like Him; His holiness and strength exceed any other. God knows your heart; He knows mine. Strong men have been made weak by God’s hand and weak men have been strengthened by God’s hand. God has the ultimate reversing power.”

Did you catch that?

God has the ultimate reversing power.

Hannah is the only woman in the Bible who has two recorded prayers. Comparing the two yields some interesting results. The first prayer was one verse (I Samuel 1:11); the second one is ten verses (I Samuel 2:1-10)! The first prayer is a plea out of desperation; the second is a song of praise. The first prayer was one full of sorrow: the second was one full of joy. What joy can be brought into our lives when we completely surrender our lives to His plan! The first prayer was one of commitment; the second was one of fulfillment. When we commit ourselves and faithfully follow His Word, we have the promise that He will complete His work. Phil. 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

Hannah could have prayed, “Lord, I’m so sorry that I have to leave my child under the influence of these ungodly men who belong to this man Eli. I wish I could take back my promise, but I’m not going to because it just wouldn’t be right. So just give me the strength to kiss my precious son goodbye because I’ll probably never see him again. And Lord, you know what a wicked place this world is, so just help us to do our best. Amen.” Would all of the above been true? Oh, sure. Eli’s sons were perverted, Hannah possibly did wish that she had not promised God her one and only son, and her attitude was her own choice. But Hannah praised the Lord. She concentrated on the miracle God had performed in her life; not the return sacrifice she was making.

By praising God in the worst circumstances, we fulfill the reason for our very creation. We were made to worship, and we spend much of our entire lives for fulfillment of that purpose, seeking the completion of that desire in all the wrong ways. But when we praise God in less-than- pleasing situations, He is magnified beyond measure. This praise is life-transforming. When we praise God, our hearts and lives are changed.

What if you just can't see past the issue at hand in order to praise God? Hannah found a way to praise the Lord in spite of her current loss. We are going to look at her song of praise in more detail to see exactly what she was praising God for.

I Samuel 2:1

"And Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation."

First, Hannah praised God for salvation. Hannah's heart was happy and she smiled at her enemies! How could she do this at such an emotional time? She was rejoicing in what God had done for her. His redeeming power had altered her life! Think of the strength in her spirit to be able to smile at Peninnah, the woman so wickedly described as her adversary in the first chapter.

So what does "my horn is exalted in the LORD" really mean? Because I don't think it means that she was driving her minivan down the street honking at everyone, as fun as that sounds.

In Biblical times, an animal's horn was used for at least three different purposes. The first was to hold water. This was vital to life. The second was to communicate with others. By blowing the horn, the cities could be warned of danger or called together for meetings. And the third was to make music.

In Biblical references to the word "horn," our spiritual application can follow suit to the physical purposes.

1. Just as the horn was to hold water and serve as nourishment, so should our relationship with God be the reason for living. His Word should provide the water for our thirsty souls. We cannot survive without the Living Water of life.

John 4:14

"but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

2. Prayer is our consistent communication with God; our "horn" should not be silent! When the line of communication is open with our Heavenly Father, we have the privilege of hearing His voice through the Holy Spirit in our hearts. This open communication is crucial to both worshipping our Savior and heeding His warnings.

3. Praise to the Lord is His delight; He loves it when we give Him praise! Hannah praised God for the opportunity to return her son to Him. She praised Him in spite of the reality of her situation. After all, she was leaving her little boy in a strange place with strange people! She praised Him for Who He is and all that He had completed in her life.

Secondly, Hannah was praising God for His Security.

I Samuel 2:2

"No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God."

To get to my dad's farm house, we turn out of the little town, where I grew up, to a single lane paved road. Then we move from a paved road to a gravel road. After a short ways, the gravel road turns into a dirt road. (Are you getting the picture here?) On that dirt road, just before the woods open up to a few rolling hills, there is a humongous rock on the side of the hill. Can I just tell you that rock is not going anywhere? If Hannah saw that rock, I believe she would say: "Yep, that rock is just like my God. Unchanging. Unmoving. Steadfast and secure."

Thirdly, Hannah praised God for His Sovereignty.

I Samuel 2:3

"Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed."

We can always praise God for being in control, even when we are not privy to His ultimate plan. His Sovereignty should be a victorious reassurance that we have no need to worry about the future.

Fourth, Hannah praises God for His Strength.

I Samuel 2:4

"The bows of the mighty men are broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength."

Hannah perceived herself as a stumbler. Oh, how I can relate to Hannah on this point! (Insert my husband's chuckle here.) When I grow physically weary, my feet just don't want to move. Recently, I ran a half marathon and when I was down to the last two miles, suddenly a manhole appeared from nowhere and I barely kept myself from landing face first. I truly believe the Lord in His graciousness gave me enough strength to keep from falling flat. Hannah is telling us that she stopped stumbling when she stopped relying on her own strength and began to rely on God's.

Hannah's fifth reason to praise that we are observing in this chapter is Starbucks. Ok, it's really Sustenance, but I wanted you to have a 21st century slant for a second.

I Samuel 2:5

"Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble."

Hannah recognized that when she turned over her insatiable desire to have children, her desire was replaced with the desire for God's plan in her life. Her hunger stopped because it was filled with His nourishment. Her support came from the Lord.

Once again, she stands at the temple gate, saying goodbye to her gift from God, precious Samuel. I believe she was giving God a standing ovation. Imagine the scent of praise mingling with the incense of the tabernacle lamps, continually burning, carried with the breeze.

Maybe prayer smells very similar to...praise.

Chapter 9

The Princess and the Pauper: From Spiritual Rags to Riches

So far in Hannah's prayer of praise, we've uncovered 5 reasons she praised the Lord. Hannah praised God for salvation, security, sovereignty, strength, and sustenance. Think of the example Hannah is providing to us in each of these areas! Let's continue on with the latter half of I Samuel 2:1-10.

I Samuel 2:6

"The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up."

Now Hannah is praising God for His Superiority, His power over death and resurrection. She is recognizing this power in her own life, both in a sense of her physical barrenness and spiritual barrenness.

I Samuel 2:7

"The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up."

God is being given the glory for His supremacy, His controlling power over others. Even those in leadership have to succumb to God's ultimate power. Proverbs 21:1 tells us "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." Hannah had relinquished her enemy to the Ultimate Power; her recognition of aligning her mind with His authority caused her to praise God. In simpler terms, Hannah had an attitude check long before this prayer of praise.

I Samuel 2:8

"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and He has set the world upon them."

Hannah is describing the wonderful power of God to take the worst and turn it into the best, His settlement for us. She explains her feelings to God by saying that He took her from being a mere beggar in the "ash heap" to a princess in the palace. The KJV calls this "ash heap" a "dunghill."

The home for beggars in Hannah's day was the city dumping ground. The dump held the entire city's refuse. Trash, ashes, and all human waste lie in the smoldering hot sun. On some summer trash collection days at my home, I feel maybe my husband or I should place a warning sign at least one block in advance so the collection force could put on their special duty garb. Or call HAZMAT. This dumping ground Hannah conveys to us was thousands of times worse than my family's suburban trash cans full of dirty diapers.

Yet the contrast to the filth and scum of the ash heap is elevation to the status of princess, placed in the palace with an inheritance to the throne. What God did for Hannah is exactly what He does for us. Christ took us out of our own filthy mess of sin and gives us life in the palace of the King.

Romans 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” We are His children and the King of glory calls us His heirs! The ending score will be settled by none other than our Father; we can believe that no matter how bad a situation, He can take anything and use it for our good. (Rom. 8:28)

My girls love to pretend to be princesses. They put on the glittery crowns, beautiful dresses, and wear huge smiles. When God looks down at His children and sees their attitudes of grace and royalty, He enjoys the exhibition of dignity and respect for Christ's work on the cross and their place as heirs to the throne. Just like my sweet girlies show in their imaginative play.

I Samuel 2:9

"He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength no man shall prevail."

Hannah is declaring the Lord to be her sentinel. What in the world is a sentinel? The guard. The one who protects and stands in the way of any aggressors. [10] Hannah knew that God was her mighty Protector and at the core of His every move is the heart of the Father who wants what is best for His children.

I Samuel 2:10

"The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; from heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed."

Hannah's final verse of praise declares the strength of the Lord. She circles back to the horn we discussed in the previous chapter and states He is the victor of battles.

Hannah expresses her praise to God in ten verses, containing an acclamation of thanksgiving and worship for His salvation, security, sovereignty, strength, sustenance, superiority, supremacy, settlement, and for being our sentinel and strength.

As she finishes the last word of her prayer, we only know that she then went home with her husband, leaving Samuel to minister as Hannah had promised he would. What a wealthy woman Hannah had become. Her spiritual rags of depression and distress had been dropped and her new wardrobe contained only the garments of a princess as joint-heir to the throne. In all the glamour of her identity of princess, I'm guessing she had a favorite scent- the undeniable, distinguished perfume of praise, mingled with prayer.

Chapter 10

Hannah's Path of Prayer

In thinking back on Hannah's path of prayer, we find that she first found herself at a point of desperation and admittance of spiritual and physical barrenness. She poured out the bitterness of her soul and in return, allowed the fullness of God to fill her to overflowing. She then believed the God of the impossible, even without an answer to her prayers. Praising God with everything in her, she thanked Him for His gifts of salvation, security, sovereignty, strength, sustenance, superiority, supremacy, settlement, and for being our sentinel and strength. Then she waited.

Smelling the tabernacle incense each year as she visited Samuel, the memories must have rushed through her mind. Memories of begging God for grace and mercy in her situation. The memory of her prayer request for a child. The memory of her request granted.

In I Samuel 2, continuing in the story of Hannah, we arrive at the doorstep of Eli’s wicked sons in verse 11. Because the focus of this study is not on them, suffice it to say that they were very wicked in God’s sight. Seven verses are allocated to describe their wickedness. My belief is that the purpose of this description was for that one little word at the beginning of verse 18, “But.” Contrasted to Eli’s terrible sons was Samuel. Anytime you see the word “but,” then you should immediately think of the exception to the rule. “But Samuel ministered before the Lord.” (vs. 18) What does this mean? The word “minister” in this verse means to serve or wait upon. Wikipedia identifies the duties of “waiting staff,” as: 1. preparing tables for a meal, 2. taking customers' orders, 3. serving drinks and food, and 4.cleaning up before, after and during servings in a restaurant. [11] All four words used for the duties are ACTION words. Preparing. Taking orders. Serving. Continually looking for opportunities. Sounds like what Samuel did. It also sounds like what Hannah was doing.

Hannah waited also. She waited for other children. Year after year, she continued to join her husband in sacrificing at the tabernacle. Each year she would take a new coat for Samuel. What a precious service to sew a little coat for her beloved, asked-of-God son. We don't know how many years she did this, but I Samuel 2:21 says that Eli blessed her and Elkanah, asking God to give her seed because of her commitment to the Lord through Samuel. As a result, the Lord visited Hannah. What greater blessing could she have than a visit from the Lord! This word "visit" is paquad in the Hebrew, which means to look after or care for. [12] The Lord looked after Hannah and cared for her; he gave her three sons and two daughters!

Perhaps you have reached this crossroad in the story and you wonder if God still answers prayer today. In 2007, Matt and I discovered that I was pregnant and we were thrilled to anticipate the sixth addition to our merged, growing family. The day after telling our children about the newly expected child, at ten weeks, the pregnancy terminated and our baby was not to enter this world. We were very heartbroken over the loss. We asked God "why?" and received no clear answer. We tried to explain to our children that God must have wanted this baby with Him and that He would give us another baby if that was His plan. And we began to pray.

Our children prayed, specifically, our youngest daughter, Tristina, very faithfully for a baby sister. Now to be perfectly honest, I was still a little angry with God for taking our child. Had we not endured enough heartache with other situations? My mom is in heaven as a result of leukemia. My daughter, Taylor, has MPS which causes severe decreased quality of life and shortened quantity of life. Why more pain and suffering?

I remember one night specifically as I tucked Tristina into bed and she started to pray. In the middle she stopped. "Mommy? Why don't you pray for a baby sister for me? I think God would listen to you."

What a challenge! How much did I really trust God? I had been praying for months, but my prayers did not seem to be getting answered. However, this time, there was something different as I began to pray. Something about verbalizing my trust in God to Him. By the time I finished praying, I could hardly speak and my heart was at peace. My sweet daughter was smiling and quietly drifted off to sleep.

Something had happened in my heart that only the Holy Spirit could do; the bitterness fell in the middle of my outpouring and God had given me total peace, even without a change in the situation.

Shortly thereafter, God showed His mercy to us once again and I became pregnant. The due date for our sweet baby would be May 14, 2009.

As I previously mentioned my dearest friend on earth, my mom, went to Heaven on June 13, 2000. Every year the month of May is a reflective time in my life. My mom was born on May 10, 1938, typically the same week as Mother's Day. God's plan all along was to provide a blessing that would help my heart heal and give me a reason to rejoice at this time of year when I would desire my mom's physical presence so much.

So little Tarah Charlotte was born on May 10, 2009. Named after her Mamaw Charlotte, Tarah shares a birthday with the grandmother she never met on this earth.

It just so happens that May 10, 2009 was Mother's Day. The very day God had specifically chosen for Tarah's arrival.

Perhaps prayer smells just like…a newborn baby.

Only Heaven will tell.

About the Author, Rachel Wojnarowski:

Rachel is originally a small town country girl who converted to a suburban mother of seven by way of life happening. She and her husband, Matt, enjoy caring for their busy family, whose ages span 13 months to 21 years and includes a special needs daughter. Rachel leads community ladies' Bible studies in central Ohio and serves as an event planner and speaker for special needs parenting groups. She is a member of the Ohio Writers' Guild and the National MPS Society; and loves to inspire others through her blog by sharing faith, family, and fun. Wife, mom, reader, writer, speaker and dreamer, you can find Rachel on Twitter and Facebook.

1 http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H157&t=NIV

2 http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H7481&t=KJV

3 http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H5315&t=KJV

4 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Sa&c=1&t=KJV#conc/10

5 http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H2142&t=NKJV

6 Curious George Takes A Job- PBS Kids www.pbskids.org/curiousgeorge

7 http://www.springerlink.com/content/965x591167n975g2/fulltext.pdf

8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olfaction

9 Bob Goff, Love Does (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012), 181.

10 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sentinel?s=t

11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_staff

12 http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H6485&t=NKJV

Table of Contents

Copyright

Foreword

Chapter 1 Desperation Point

Chapter 2 In Bitterness of Soul

Chapter 3 Pouring Out the Bitter Soul

Chapter 4 She Smells Like Mine

Chapter 5 Asked of God

Chapter 6 Mission: Impossible Answers to Prayer

Chapter 7 The Impact of Unity

Chapter 8 A Standing Ovation: Our God the Rock

Chapter 9 The Princess and the Pauper: From Spiritual Rags to Riches

Chapter 10 Hannah's Path of Prayer

About the Author, Rachel Wojnarowski:

Table of Contents

Copyright

Foreword

Chapter 1 Desperation Point

Chapter 2 In Bitterness of Soul

Chapter 3 Pouring Out the Bitter Soul

Chapter 4 She Smells Like Mine

Chapter 5 Asked of God

Chapter 6 Mission: Impossible Answers to Prayer

Chapter 7 The Impact of Unity

Chapter 8 A Standing Ovation: Our God the Rock

Chapter 9 The Princess and the Pauper: From Spiritual Rags to Riches

Chapter 10 Hannah's Path of Prayer

About the Author, Rachel Wojnarowski: